Best Healthy Places to Retire: Walnut Creek, California

Walnut Creek Rudeness

I've lived in the east bay my whole life and I work in Walnut Creek. I loathe driving into and out of this town. I cannot believe the rudeness of drivers here...and around the holidays? It is impossible to get your car across town unless you want to dive in to gridlock traffic. I've considered leaving my job because of the stress of simply coming and going from work! Lastly, everyone seems to know someone that's been hit in crosswalks in this town. Not a good thing if you ride a bike or don't have a car.

Amie of CA @ Feb 03, 2009 10:10:13 AM

Let's go....to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek

Rossmoor is great. When I first moved to Rossmoor almost 9 years ago, I was not yet 55 years of age, although my husband was. Younger people are definitely moving to Rossmoor. I've been a realtor with Prudential while living here in Rossmoor, and almost every one of my clients who purchased in Rossmoor this last year were baby boomers in the 55-65 year age bracket. Most are still working. While children are not allowed to live here, my grown children and my young grandchildren love visiting Rossmoor. The minimum age to live here is 55 years, or you must be married to someone who is 55. It's one of the most affordable places in the Bay Area, offers more amenities than any other senior community, is centrally located to many recreational and cultural activities, and is one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area.

Paula Azeltine of CA @ Jan 21, 2009 01:18:50 AM

Walnut Creek

I have lived in Walnut Creek for over 10 years and it is not as nice as you may think. Yes it does have very good policies regarding open space and there are a lot of nice stores here, but it is not all as nice as it looks. The city seems designed to favor cars and not people. The public transit system closes down at 7:30PM and there is no other way to get around except walking and cabs. Walking is dangerous and cabs are expensive.

The drivers in Walnut Creek are hostile, rude, threatening, and dangerous. I have almost been hit on the sidewalk downtown three times and I have a friend who had to dive into bushes to save his life from being hit by some rude driver and another one who was hit in a cross walk when crossing with the lights.

My job takes me all over the Bay Area in a day and there is no place like Walnut Creek when it comes to rude drivers. No Place!

So if you want to live here make sure you have a strong car to drive around and some good insurance or you may end up seeing Walnut Creek from the back of an ambulance.

of CA @ Dec 11, 2008 11:19:45 AM

Rossmoor retirement community in Walnut Creek

I agree that Rossmoor is a wonderful place for anyone over 55 years of age, retired or not! It's for active adults, as there are 2 golf courses, tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming, bocce ball, croquet, and a health club recently renovated. The condos and co-ops range from level-in, without stairs, to multi-story townhomes, to elevator buildings. Some have the best views around--looking to Mt.Diablo or overlooking the golf course--some with sunrise, others with sunsets to savor.

And the prices are still lower than other areas of the Bay Area, even for a gated community with so many activities included in the monthly homeowners' fee.

If anyone wants more information, contact me-I'm a realtor who has helped clients to buy and sell in Rossmoor!

Holly Henkel of CA @ Oct 05, 2008 01:46:40 AM

Let's go

Sounds great......but do young people live there also! I'm not old enough yet!!!!

Bubba of MA @ Sep 29, 2008 22:55:18 PM

Boulder & Walnut Creek

I lived in Boulder from '91-'02; my feeling was that it was run by a bunch of ex-hippies on control trips--and you'd better conform! Or like a little girl with a dollhouse. And it's overpriced. Terrible traffic. Sparse public transit. Good walking/bike paths but cyclists value their spandex more than your life. You think car drivers are susceptible to road rage? Wait til some skinny skin-tight spandex-wearing bicyclist thinks you've taken any of his space on the path or the street! Some have been known to carry spray paint for the event.... There's more but suffice to say I moved to Germany to escape Boulder.

A gated community in Walnut Creek? Please! I'd rather be wacked in a street robbery in the Tenderloin in San Francisco than live in a bubble like that! Besides, being east of SF and Oakland make WC a prime recipient of all the pollution? I'm a San Francisco native but, between taxes, social problems, and geography, I'll never live in the area again, though it's a great place to visit.

Doug Hargrove of CO @ Sep 26, 2008 12:31:42 PM

Retire in Walnut Creek, CA

Nice article but I don't think you caught the essence of Rossmoor. So many of us feel very lucky that we ended up here! Living in Rossmoor on 2,300 acres of rolling hills is like dying and going to heaven! Especially swimming each morning in a grand covered pool, exercising in a state-of-the-art fitness center and meeting so many interesting and talented people from the Far East, Europe, South America and all points in US.

And less than 10 minutes away: Really good restaurants, Broadway Shopping Center with Nordtroms, Macys and many small shops, beautiful potted plants.

Hard to tell you how wonderful life is here!

Doris B. Gill of CA @ Sep 24, 2008 19:25:48 PM